Helen, How Could You?
by margaret aka whymelucylu
Summary: Frank's POV. Frank's dream is about to come true...leave it to Helen to ? Babe in the background.


_A/N. this is sooooo AU...but that's how I Roll._

_"Helen, How Could You?"_

**Frank POV.**

I did something that I had been doing for years now, Helen never knowing. I ponyed up some money at the Stop-N-Shop store on Broad Street and got several Powerball tickets. Something told me, I had a winner in those scraps of paper.

So, I stashed them into my docker pants, never giving a thought to the tickets after I wrote down my numbers. I just hung the pants up like usual on my 'side' of the room. I never gave a thought to where I laid them at all. I had dreams about that money. Edna had left over a year ago, moving into my Pumpkin's old apartment. She was around folks her age, and some of them even still had a car to drive her around. _I don't want to think about Edna and her 'paying' for a ride._ It was all good that she never bothered me for a ride. Let's just leave it at that.

Life was good now. And already one of my wishes had been granted. I had the bathroom to myself. It was so good, I even half ass listened to my wife these days. Of course, she wouldn't be my wife if she wasn't always griping about this and that. Lately Helen had been on a roll, ever since Stephanie and Ranger got married, and she wasn't even informed of it. Angie Morelli just 'happened' to notice them coming from the courthouse, with matching bands on their fingers. You'd have thought the world ended right then and there. Of course, Angie spotted Edna and I as well with the couple, which didn't help matters around the house.

Stephanie had quit coming over for meals or anything. Ever since she moved into Rangeman and was 'living in sin' as Helen put it. I knew they had plans to marry, hell everyone knew they belonged together. Except Helen. Even Morelli had given up. He had to give up since Stephanie quit being a bounty hunter. She was doing more and more within the business side of Rangeman. And when they went out to dine or dance, Newark called their name instead of Trenton. Always having Sunday meals at the Manoso family home instead of ours lead to another round of 'how could she?' from Helen.

I dream of the day I win that powerball, first thing is shipping her off to a inpatient rehab clinic and sober her ass up. Yes, that's right.

_**Imagine Helen Mazur Plum Sober.**_

That should bring a smile to your face, Lord knows it does to mine. I don't think I ever saw Helen without a bottle of booze in the house. That one time Stephanie and Valerie came over to dump it all out, Helen had a fit. But that only happened when I got her out of the house on a shopping errand with me.

The girls had left the house by the time we got back, and I watched Helen slip into the kitchen for a 'nip' of her medicine.

Tonight is the night of the Powerball Drawing, and I will be in control of the remote. Helen is thinking I don't know what she is up to, but I do. I have got these tickets for years now, and she has never found out about it. I think I deserve some happy too, don't you?

After all I have stayed married to her. Never cheated on her. Even though I felt like choking the shit out of her, I never have.

Helen has her booze.

I have my powerball.

win win.

I filled out my own tickets. Now, usually folks let the machine do it for them.

But, not me.

Nope.

Frank Plum does his own numbers

What are they?

I'm glad you asked;

17. That was the lucky number of Stephanie. She always had loved that odd number.

29. The age I was when I the war was over for me.

31. How old I was when Valerie was born.

52. Helen's age when Stephanie cut off all communication with her.

53. My own lucky number.

31. was always the Powerball number I chose. It is the age I feel knowing I have the bathroom to myself again.

Now where is that remote?

I get out my notebook filled with numbers and turn to my page, for tonight.

**This Is It.**

**I Can Feel It.**

Helen must have picked up on my excitement, as she sat down on the couch to watch TV with me. Something new she is trying to do. I guess anyway, I don't even care her reasoning. Pretty quick, she will be outta here and checked into that Rehab I have made Plans for her to go to.

Across the country.

Away from me.

Thank Christ for peace and quiet.

"Here are the Lotto numbers..." the announcer says. I lean forward to watch, my notebook is in my hand.

My heart rate increases I can tell. The rush I feel when I know I am right. That same rush that saved my ass in 'Nam is back

I have the winning numbers. I know I do

"17...29...31..." is what I hear.

OH MY GOD.

I am so close to Victory.

"52...53..."

"Frank, why are you standing up? What is it with you and those numbers," Helen keeps asking me over and over again.

"Woman, shut the hell up. **For once in your life. Shut Up!"** I tell her.

"And the powerball number is **31. Folks check your tickets. The Powerball Winning Ticket is worth...Three Hundred Thirty Eight Million Dollars."**

_**By God, I Had Done It.**_

My cell phone rang. I knew it was my Pumpkin. She always went with me when I filled out the form. It was our ritual. Here lately, Carlos had joined in our family tradition.

"Daddy, YOU DID IT!" I heard her and Carlos laughing. "Congratulations, now go find your ticket. I can make the reservations for the clinic for her now," Stephanie told me.

I tried to sound business like, after all Helen was listening, "On it," I told her before hanging up the phone.

I took the stairs two at a time.

I knew just where the ticket was.

Where I hung my pants that day.

_**Where they weren't now.**_

_**I searched all over for my dockers. **_

_**The same pair I wear each time I fill out my lottery ticket.**_

_**Where the hell are they?**_

Helen came into the room, staring at me. I was tearing the room up, on my side of it anyway.

"Where are my docker pants? I just hung them up a week ago. I know I didn't misplace them," I told my wife.

"Oh, those pants? I washed them a couple of days ago. All I found in the pockets was **some shredded paper when I took them out of the washer."**

Folks, I was stunned.

I won, but then I lost.

I started crying, sobbing in fact.

Stuck.

I was stuck with this woman for the rest of my life.

"_**Helen, How Could You?"**_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Some lucky person won the powerball ticket in the great state of New Jersey. Hope it was one of you!

AU AU AU

NOT MINE.


End file.
